GURPS Steamtech
GURPS Classic: Steam-Tech contains weapons and armor as well as analytical engines, automata, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, and even living plant and animal creations. Key concepts "Nearly all the devices in this volume are from one of the following TLs: * 4''' Renaissance and Colonial: the era of the full-rigged sailing ship, gunpowder, and the printing press. * '''(4+1) "Clockpunk": Renaissance and Colonial anticipations of future technology comparable to that of the Age of Steam, but differing both in detail and in basic assumptions. * 5''' Industrial Revolution: the real Age of Steam, with steam engines, iron- or steel-framed buildings and vehicles, and the telegraph and telephone. * '''(5+1) Steampunk: Technological extrapolations from the Age of Steam's achievements, such as Charles Babbage's analytical engine or Nikola Tesla's beamed electrical power. Early science fictional devices based on improvements in existing technology rather than radical new scientific theories, such as Jules Verne's aeronefs and submarines, also belong here. Often comparable to TL6 (1900-1950) but unfamiliar in detail. * (5+n) Advanced steampunk: Technological speculations of early science fiction writers, including their visions of the remote future." "Because TL(5+1) diverges from standard TL6, scientists and engineers from standard TL6 receive unfamiliarity penalties (-2; see p. B43) in working with it, and vice versa. But use common sense in applying these. Sulfanilamide is classified as TL(5+1), but it was also a TL6 medication; no penalty should apply to the skills of Chemistry/TL6 or Physician/TL6 for working with it." "From these definitions, devices labeled TL4 or TL5 should be real inventions; devices labeled TL(4+1), TL(5+1), or TL(5+n) should be fanciful. But it's not that simple. Real inventions of the early 20th century that fit the 19th century's technological idiom, such as airships, are classified as TL(5+1); devices that apply real 19th-century technology in cinematic ways, such as the lunar shell (p. STM83), are classified as TL5." Age of Steam's technology Steamtech provides a list of 35 real historical inventions and devices but the list includes the now known to be fake Piltdown Man and misses several (These are listed in Divergent Technology). However, some devices are close to real world analogs but seen through a steampunk lens. * Special Purpose Grenades; TL(5+1): The Chlorine Grenade has a close analog in the mustard gas grenade used in WWI. * Pocket Lightning Projector; TL(5+1): A steampunk version of a TL7 stunner. * Pneumatic Suit; TL(5+1): A steampunk version of a TL7 Hazmat suit. * Thalassonautic Casque; TL(5+1): Effectively a merging of the helmet part of standard diving dress (invented 1830) and Scuba. * Thalassonautic Scaphander; TL(5+1): Effectively a merging of the entire standard diving dress (invented in 1830) and Scuba. * Luminous Cane; TL(5+1): A steampunk reimaginating of TL7 handcranked LED flashlights. * Expansive Tent; TL(5+1): has a close analog in TL7 inflatable tents. * Cheirometric Lock; TL(5+1): Steampunk analog to TL8 face and fingerprint recognition Note GURPS Steamtech made the line between Divergent Technology and normal TL somewhat fuzzy, In 4e many of the devices that require cinematic rules of science to work would get the superscience (^) tag. Additional Material * GURPS Steampunk * GURPS Steampunk 1: Settings and Style (4e material) * GURPS Steampunk 2: Steam and Shellfire (4e material) * GURPS Steampunk 3: Soldiers and Scientist (4e material) * GURPS Update * Dieselpunk Category:3rd Edition Category:GURPS Books Category:Punk reality Category:Technology